Another Chance
by modernxxmyth
Summary: After learning Arizona doesn't want children, Callie is forced to confront the situation. Mark is there for her to lean on. Post-"Push" 6.17. Mark/Callie. Mallie one-shot.


**A/N:** Mark/Callie reallllly long one-shot. Set post-Push 6.17. :)

**Disclaimer:** Grey's Anatomy is certainly not mine. There would be much more Mallie if there was.

* * *

_**Another Chance**_

"Arizona doesn't want kids."

Mark blinked slowly, looking up from his work at his kitchen stable. "Huh?"

Callie entered through his door, slamming it behind her, eyes wide and frazzled. "Arizona doesn't want kids."

Mark furrowed his brows. "But she loves kids. It comes with the profession. She's a pediatric surgeon. How does she not want kids?"

Callie sighed and took a seat next to him, pulling her chair close to his. She eyed his glass of scotch and decidedly took a sip. Mark knew better than to protest.

"She said something about all the pain that parents go through and the terrible things that can happen to kids. She sees it everyday and doesn't think she can handle it or something like that. She told me she doesn't want children. None. I don't know what to do."

Mark took his drink back and sipped it. "You want kids," he stated. "You've talked about it a few times. Are you willing to sway on it at all, Torres? Any wiggle room?"

Callie bit her lip. "I don't know. I've always wanted kids. I have a big family. Back when I was with George, we even planned on trying. Kids are something I've always wanted. I don't know…I just…I think about it all, the way I want my life to end up, and I see children. It's who I am. I don't think I can change that. I never expected this problem with Arizona. I guess because she works with kids, I just assumed she would want them."

She took his drink again, tossed it back, and Mark poured himself another.

Callie continued, "I don't think I can compromise on this. I want kids," she said resolutely.

Mark nodded. "So what are you going to do about it?"

Callie closed her eyes. "I have no idea."

* * *

The next few days were tense for Callie and Arizona. Things got progressively worse with time. They avoided each other constantly at the hospital, neither wanting to confront the obvious issue in their relationship. They avoided the topic, not knowing what to do.

Then they were put on the same case. A father and daughter had been in a brutal car accident. The father died on impact, but the six year old girl managed to make it to the hospital alive. She underwent multiple surgeries under the care of Callie, Arizona, and others, and the case forced the couple together.

The young girl's mother was a wreck. She lost her husband, and her daughter was in critical condition. They ended up losing the girl. The mother was hysterical. Her expression of grief was enough to break anyone.

Amidst the woman's tears, Arizona pulled Callie aside. "Don't you see, Calliope? I don't want kids because I don't ever want to be that woman in there. I can't handle that pain. Look at her, Callie. Do you ever want to be her?"

"No one wants that, Arizona. No one wants to be her," Callie responded. "Having my child die would be horrific, but I'm not going to let fear rule me. It doesn't scare me away from wanting to be a mother. I've always wanted children. I've always wanted to experience that joy of having kids – that joy that you always talk about with working in your specialty. I want that. Maybe not today or even this year, but I do want it. I want kids."

Arizona looked up at Callie with sad eyes. "I don't."

Callie bit her lip. "Well…I guess we want different things."

Arizona grabbed Callie's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Are we…are we ending this?"

There were tears in both their eyes.

Callie squeezed her hand even harder. "I think we are."

"I love you, Calliope Iphigenia Torres," Arizona whispered.

Callie had to choke back a laugh at the use of her full name. She sniffled. "I love you, too," she whispered in reply.

After brushing a stray hair gently out of Arizona's face, Callie leaned in and kissed her one last time. And then she walked away.

* * *

"Arizona and I broke up," Callie spoke tearfully from Mark's doorway.

Mark led her inside quickly, poured her a drink, and sat her down on the couch next to him.

"That girl," Callie began. "That little girl who got in the car wreck…you know the one, you treated her burns? She died this afternoon. That little six year old girl. So Arizona and I finally talked about things. She doesn't want kids, Mark. And I do. So we ended it. Arizona and I broke up," she cried.

Callie was still in shock.

Mark hadn't seen Callie in a state like this since her ex-husband's death. He pulled her into him and stroked her hair. "I'm sorry, Torres."

Callie nodded into his chest.

"Want me to make you some pancakes?"

Callie nodded into his chest again and mumbled, "Banana?"

"Sure."

The pair spent the evening like this, drinking, talking, eating pancakes, and eventually falling asleep sprawled out together on Mark's couch.

* * *

Things carried on like this for weeks. Binge eating, too much television, and drinks at Mark or Callie's respective apartments.

At the hospital, things were strange. Callie was so used to being with Arizona, that she wasn't sure what to do with herself. She and Arizona had become a unit, their lives integrated together in every respect. Callie felt strange alone. She was no longer good at it and hadn't been in a few years. Not since before George. It did not take long for Callie to start sleeping with Mark after she and George ended their marriage. She and Mark had never been together, of course, but she had certainly gotten some fantastic sex and a best friend out of it. Then quite quickly, along came Erica Hahn. That had been a brief but certainly enlightening relationship. After only a few months of being single – a quite miserable time – along came Arizona kissing her in bathrooms. Things had been simple with Arizona. They came naturally and easily. She called her Calliope, and it never bothered her. The sex was good – it wasn't a problem as it had been with Erica. It was great, actually. Callie had been initially surprised, but it made sense.

The wonderful thing, Callie realized by being with Arizona, was that women know what women want. Women know what make women tick. Women understand each other. The sex with Arizona could only be rivaled by one other partner she'd had – Mark. Women may know what women want, but Mark Sloan always seemed to know exactly what Callie wanted. The months they slept together made for some very, very amazing sex.

Over the past several weeks, her knowledge of that fact was making Callie's life a bit difficult. With both Callie and Mark suddenly single, the lines were a little more blurred than usual. They used to have a lot of casual sex. Now that they were both available once more, Callie found it difficult to not slip back into the old habit. Their sexual tension had been growing for quite a while. Falling into bed with Mark Sloan was always enjoyable, but not always the best of ideas.

* * *

Two months passed. Two long celibate months between the two of them. They spent all their time together, constantly at Joe's or watching movies. Callie even dragged him along sometimes when she needed to get groceries. They were damn near a couple without the benefits. They were best friends with sexual tension out the wazoo. Callie was beginning to think that the pair had been celibate for far too long.

"So what's for dinner?" Mark asked, walking into Callie's apartment.

Callie rolled her eyes, stirring a pot on the stove. "I'm making linguini."

"I love a woman who cooks."

She quipped, "You love a woman with a rack."

Mark grinned. "Well, you've got that too, now don't you?"

Callie rolled her eyes again. "Did you at least bring the wine?"

"Pinot noir, just as ordered."

"Good. So what's on the agenda for tonight? Bring any movies?"

Mark beamed. "I've got action or porn."

"Seriously, Mark?" Callie laughed.

Mark shrugged his shoulders innocently. "It's girl on girl, if that helps. I thought you could appreciate."

Callie raised an eyebrow, briefly tempted, but shook her head quickly. "No, Mark. Action."

"Shucks," he grinned boyishly.

"I know you're disappointed," Callie replied, "but I'm sure we'll make due."

The pair ate, watched the movie, and polished off the bottle of wine.

Callie turned to him as the credits rolled silently, "Do you ever miss her?" Maybe she'd had too much wine, or maybe it was just Mark's presence, but she wanted to talk.

"Lexie?" he asked roughly.

Callie nodded.

Mark gritted his teeth. "Yeah. I guess, sometimes I do. I don't want her back, but I miss her sometimes. She was my first serious relationship that actually lasted. But we wanted different things, I guess. Derek's mom said that Lexie and I were good together because I was emotionally immature. We were on the same level. We're not anymore. I guess I really have grown up, huh?"

The corners of Callie's lips curled upwards. "You really have."

Mark spoke, "Do you miss Arizona?"

"Yes," Callie whispered. "Sometimes I wish that she had done something horrible. Cheat, like George did. Betray me. Lie to me. Something unforgivable. It would be easier to forget if I could hate her. But I can't. We just wanted different things. I can't hate her for that. Neither of us did anything wrong; we just weren't going to work. I've managed to accept that and move on, but that doesn't mean I don't miss her sometimes."

Mark nodded and grabbed her hand, squeezing tightly. Callie crawled into his lap. The pair rarely talked this seriously, but when they did, it was always very intimate.

Mark pressed and kiss to Callie's cheek after several minutes and said quietly, "Thanks for dinner, Torres. I should head home."

"Don't," Callie spoke abruptly. "Stay."

They both knew exactly what she meant.

Mark tested, "Are you sure about that?"

A firm kiss to his lips was the only answer he needed. Tasting wine on her tongue, Mark delved in. His hands tangled in her curls, and she gripped his ass tightly. It wasn't long before they stumbled into Callie's bedroom, clothes flung every which way.

"Do you have…?" Callie trailed of, gasping as she felt his hand slide inside her panties.

Mark reached inside his pocket and pulled out a condom, smiling. "Always gotta be prepared."

She heard a tearing of foil, a quick movement, a beat, and suddenly, for the first time in a long time, Mark was inside her.

It didn't take Callie long to come. A thrust just there, a circle of the hips, Mark's finger dragging lazily just where she wanted it, and Callie was a goner.

"Mark," she rasped out as he palmed her breast. Callie pulled at his hair, and brought him into a searing kiss. They finished together for Callie's second time, her with a strangled, high pitched cry, and Mark with a low, long groan.

Callie tried in vain to slow her breathing, entirely spent. She pressed feather-light kisses to Mark's bare chest.

"Mmm," Callie smiled into him. "Well then."

Mark could not help but laugh. "C'mere, Torres," he said, pulling her flush against him, eye to eye.

He grinned. "So, how are you?"

It was Callie's turn to laugh – a breathless chuckle, ending with her biting her lip pleasantly. "I'm good. Very, very good, actually."

He shrugged. "All in a day's work."

Callie rolled her eyes and swatted him playfully. "Come on now, Sloan. How long has it been for you?"

"Since before that…debacle…with Teddy. A nurse, I think. It's been a few months," he admitted grudgingly. "When was the last time you were with a guy, anyway?"

"A guy?" Callie repeated. "Well, when's the last time slept together?"

Mark held a hand to his heart. "Aw, I was your last man? Now I feel special. We haven't been together since before Erica."

"And once during," Callie corrected him. "Little Grey wasn't the first woman to ask you to teach her, Sloan."

"Ah, yes," he smiled, reminiscing. "I believe I taught you all about the Sloan Method."

"Let me tell you," Callie said, "it was one great lesson. "I might, however, need a refresher course."

Mark smirked. "Really now?"

Callie nodded seriously. "Really. You up for it?"

Mark trailed a finger down slowly between her breasts. "Baby, I'm always up for it."

* * *

Mark and Callie fell back into their friends with benefits game with ease. No strings attached, they told themselves. As it had always been with them. Little did they know.

They slept together night after night for over a month before Callie realized she was late.

She didn't tell Mark. She was too afraid to take the test. Callie approached Cristina one day during work and shared her fears with her friend.

"I think I may be pregnant."

Cristina's eyes widened. "Well, that's one way to start a morning shift." She took a sip of her coffee. "I'm going to assume Sloan doesn't know. I'm also going to assume Sloan is the father."

Callie nodded. "Will you do an ultrasound? I want to be sure before I freak out."

"Of course. But you owe me, Torres. You're buying me lunch. After the ultrasound, of course."

They did the ultrasound during their lunch break, as planned. Looking up at the monitor, Callie sighed. "Shit."

"Congratulations, mommy. You gonna keep it?"

Callie looked at her with wide eyes. "I need to talk to Mark."

* * *

Callie wanted kids. She wanted kids desperately. But she had been planning on waiting a little longer before having them – maybe being in an actual committed relationship with the person she parented with. She knew that Mark wanted kids, too. He had for a while. The similar view had fucked both of their former relationships to hell. She knew he wanted children, but that didn't make this situation much easier. It was less than ideal. They weren't even together. They were just fuck buddies – friends having sex. And now they were friends having a baby. She wondered when the baby had been conceived – they were always so careful about being protected. When Callie stopped sleeping with men, she'd gone off the pill, so she and Mark had been using condoms. But at the end of the day, condoms were only 97% effective. She sighed. Sometimes, even when you're as cautious as possible, life takes an unexpected turn.

Callie and Mark had plans to go to Joe's that evening after their shift, so when Mark came and found her after work, she suggested they go to his place instead.

Mark wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Just can't wait, can you, Torres?"

Callie laughed nervously.

Back at Mark's place, Callie made him a glass of scotch and placed it in front of him, much to Mark's confusion.

"Not drinking with me?" he inquired.

"We need to talk."

Mark took a sip and placed the glass on coffee table in front of him. "What's up?"

"Um…well…you see, the thing is…well, hmm…how to say this…"

"C'mon, Callie, spit it out."

So she did. "I'm pregnant."

Mark blinked. He drank the rest of his scotch in one gulp. He blinked again. "So I guess that's why you're not drinking with me."

Callie nodded. "Uh…got anything else? Maybe some sort of actual response in there?"

Mark sighed, looking down. "Are you…are you going to keep it? Do you want it?" He didn't dare hope.

Callie smiled softly. "So that's what this reaction is about? You're afraid I'm going to abort it?"

Mark nodded. "It's what Addison did."

"Well, Mark, I was kind of planning on keeping it. If that's okay with you. The situation may not be ideal, but we both want kids, and…" she drifted off.

"So, we're having a baby?" Mark asked, needing absolute clarification.

"Yes, Mark, we're having a baby."

Mark beamed. "I'm really going to be a father? Finally?"

"Yes," Callie spoke gently.

"Because after what happened with Addison…and with Sloan…I need you to be sure, Callie. I need you to be sure because I can't go through all that again. I can't miss another chance at being father. I've missed so many already. Please, don't let me miss another chance at this."

Callie grabbed his hand. "This _is_ your chance. Don't worry. We're having a baby."

"We're having a baby," Mark repeated with awe-filled words.

Callie finally allowed a grin to form on her face.

Mark kissed her then, unceasingly, excited, jubilant kisses on her mouth, her cheek, her neck, her nose.

They were having a baby.

* * *

When Callie started to show, it was hell.

Arizona and Lexie both put the pieces together pretty quickly. Both women avoided Callie and Mark like the plague. Lexie acted childishly about the whole situation – running amuck, spreading rumors, and calling Callie a whore. Callie rolled her eyes every time and didn't let it faze her – Lexie would grow up one day, get over Mark, and see she was wrong.

Arizona was a different story. She was not angry, as Callie had expected, but it was apparent she hadn't realized Callie and Mark were sleeping together again. More than anything, she looked sad. She had missed her chance with Callie, once and for all. Her usually bubbly demeanor lost its luster for a time, and she avoided Callie.

Just before Callie hit five months, she and Arizona had a surgery together. A little boy, this time, of age seven. The two only spoke when necessary. Callie pulled off the surgery beautifully and with complete success.

Arizona looked at Callie with a soft, almost sad smile and wide eyes. She spoke earnestly, "Congratulations, Callie."

Callie did not know if Arizona was referring to the surgery or the baby. She thought perhaps both.

Callie smiled gently in response. "Thank you, Arizona."

And that was that.

* * *

At five and a half months, Mark asked Callie to move in with him.

"You practically live here, anyway. And you're having my baby. And we plan on raising it together. I know you're just across the hall, but…wouldn't you rather live here? The three of us together?" his tone was hopeful.

"I don't know, Mark…I don't want to over-complicate things…"

"C'mon, Torres. It makes sense. Just think about it. I make a great roommate," he grinned.

"Once the baby comes," Callie began, "You'll only have one bedroom."

"Which you've been sleeping in every night for months," Mark responded. "What's the big deal?"

Callie bit her lip.

Mark told her, "Just think about it, okay? I think it could be great."

It was only a week later when she made her decision.

Callie was making dinner at Mark's place, Spanish rice on the stove, when she brought the topic up.

"Mark?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"I've been doing some thinking." She bit her lip.

She was always biting her lip, Mark noticed. He found the subconscious habit unbelievably sexy. He approached her from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist and rubbing a hand over her stomach. He was always doing that.

"About what?" he asked.

"About moving in."

"Yeah? Have you come to a decision?"

"I'll do it," said Callie. "I'll move in with you."

Mark beamed and kissed her excitedly, dragging her along into the bedroom with him, ripping her clothes away.

Yes, Callie decided as he slipped inside her, making her moan, she had certainly made the right choice.

Curling up against Mark in the aftermath, Callie smiled. "Hi, roomie."

Mark grinned and kissed her quickly. "Hi yourself, roomie." He paused and sniffed the air. "Is something burning?"

"Shit!" Callie exclaimed, jumping up and running naked into the kitchen. She turned off the stove and found a black mess in the pot.

She turned to Mark and laughed. "Um, we're going to need to order pizza."

After a quick order on the phone, the pair crawled back into bed.

Callie turned to Mark. "We should probably figure out what we're going to name her, hmm?"

"Our daughter? Yes, probably." He grinned ruefully. "How about _Iphigenia_?"

Callie gasped and slapped him. Hard. "No. No, definitely not. Never."

"Ouch," Mark whined. "Fine. What do you want to name her?"

Callie bit her lip thoughtfully. "I don't know. If you don't mind, we should probably use something from my heritage…my father has already disowned me enough times without the sleeping with women and having a child out of wedlock…"

"Then that's what we'll do."

* * *

At seven months pregnant, after decorating the baby's room (the crib meant for Sloan's child included), Callie realized they were a couple without the titles. She and Mark were in a relationship and didn't talk about it. She assumed that Mark had noticed – they were living together, having a baby, and not sleeping with anyone but each other. But it wasn't as thought they had discussed things. No decision had been made. It wasn't until she was at seven months that Callie realized keeping Mark on friends with benefits terms hadn't exactly panned out. Pregnant and living together – yes, the pair were definitely in a relationship.

It was late one night and the couple was curled up together in bed, bare skin on bare skin, nearly asleep.

"Mark?" Callie whispered.

"Hmm?" he mumbled his tired response.

"I know it's late…but can we talk?"

Mark rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with a loud yawn and turned to face her. "Of course. What's going on?"

"This may sound like a dumb question given our situation, but…what exactly are we?"

Mark chuckled under his breath. "Well, Callie, you're the mother of my child, my bed buddy, my best friend, and the woman I spend all of my time with. I think about you constantly. I find you sexy as hell. And to top it all off, we're living together. I think this may just qualify as a relationship. What do you think?"

"I think so, too."

Mark looked at her seriously. "Do you _want_ to be in a relationship? Because I do. I want to be with you completely, Torres. But if that's not what you want, then you just let me know, and we'll do things your way. But I want to be with you. How 'bout you?"

"I do, too," she admitted. "What changes now?"

"Nothing," Mark said with an amused laugh. "Absolutely nothing. We've been together for a while, Callie. I think you know that. Now it's just official."

"Mmm," Callie snuggled into his chest. "Sounds good."

Mark stroked her hair. "Trust me, it is."

* * *

Addison Montgomery flew into town just after Callie hit eight months. Both Callie and Mark wanted her to deliver even though there were no complications with her pregnancy. They trusted her. Addison had loved the idea of taking off from work for a few weeks, claiming there was too much drama in LA. Callie thought that is Seattle had _less_ drama, California must have been insane. Addison came over to their place for dinner her first night in town.

Callie was in the kitchen when Addison arrived, chopping up some celery, looking ready to burst.

Addison grinned. "Callie, you look beautiful."

Callie turned to her and smiled brilliantly. "I look like a whale, Addie, but thank you. You look fantastic, per usual. And those shoes are to die for."

Mark entered the room, wiping his palms on his pants and grinning. "Addison."

The redhead smiled in response. "Congratulations, dad."

Mark beamed. "Thanks."

There was a brief silence where everyone took a moment to ponder the situation. Mostly, Callie wanted to laugh. She and Addison had originally bonded over regret of sleeping with Mark. And Addison had once been the mother of Mark's child, too. But she'd opted against it. Sometimes Callie wondered if she regretted it, but she would never dare ask. There were some things a person just did not need to know. Callie was the mother of Mark's child, and it would always remain that way.

The beat in time passed, and Callie continued cooking. "So Addie, how's LA?"

"Good, I guess. Pete and I are still sleeping together. And Naomi is finally talking to me. It's been almost a year – you'd think she'd get over a kiss by now. Her daughter had the baby. Naomi and Sam are grandparents now."

Mark shook his head. "Weird. Very weird."

"I know," said Addison. "It really is."

Addison walked up to Callie and patted her stomach gently. "How is she doing?"

Callie smiled when she felt the baby kick. "It would seem she knows her aunt. Unfortunately for you, Cristina has already called Godmother."

Addison laughed. "Fine, but I call the next one."

Callie and Mark locked eyes from across the room, and Mark smiled fleetingly.

Yes, it would seem there _would_ be a next one.

Callie bit her lip, pleased. "Okay, you can call the next one."

"How've you been feeling?" Addison questioned. "Any changes?"

Callie shook her head. "It's been a pretty boring pregnancy."

"Those are the best kinds," Addison told her. "No complications is a _good_ thing."

"I know," Callie replied. "I'm just terribly bored. I'm on maternity leave, and you just _know_ I'm going to be mommy tracked when I go back to work."

"Well, tell Derek that I say to shove it."

Callie laughed.

Mark added, "I'll play the best friend card. There will be no mommy tracking from Shepherd, or he will have hell to pay."

"So," Addison began, "Does the little one have a name yet?"

"Nope," Mark replied. "We've got some options, but nothing quite feels right."

Addison replied, "My cousin Kate called her newborn 'it' for the first month – I'm sure you two will be fine."

"Oh, wow," Callie replied. "Poor kid. Hope 'it' never find out."

Addison laughed. "Yeah. We're definitely going to need to watch over Andrew's upbringing…but anyway. You'll decide on a name soon. Some parents don't even choose until the kid is born. Maybe you need to see your daughter's face before you can truly know who she's supposed to be."

"Maybe," Callie considered.

Mark clanked glasses of wine with Addison. "Here's to hoping."

* * *

Three days before Callie's due date, her water broke. She was laying in bed with Mark, asleep, at three in the morning, when she felt it. For a moment she thought she wet the bed – pregnancy _does_ unfortunately make your bladder control a little weak. Then she realized the truth. She was in labor.

She blinked slowly. She was actually having this baby.

"Mark?" she called out.

He woke with a start. "Huh? What? What's wrong?"

"Um, well, nothing's wrong. I'm just in labor."

"You're…you're in labor?"

Callie nodded in the darkness. "I would expect so. Can't you feel the disgusting, wet sheets?"

"Are you okay? Have you started having contractions? How do you feel?" he asked hurriedly as he got out of bed and grabbed his phone.

"I feel fine so far, don't worry. Just…get the bag and help me up?"

Mark helped her slowly stand and smiled at her. "Looks like we're having our baby."

"Yeah," Callie smiled. "I guess we are."

Mark brushed a stray hair out of Callie's face. "Hey, Callie?"

She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight. "Yeah?"

"I love you."

Callie gasped quietly, not expecting the statement. They'd been together forever at this point, it seemed. They were having a child and planned on having more. But love? They'd never used the word. Yes, the manwhore really was reformed.

She kissed him gently on the lips. "Good," she replied. "Because I love you, too."

* * *

Mark called Addison from the car, and she was at the hospital ten minutes after they arrived.

As Callie was wheeled into a hospital room, she said, "Thank god rounds haven't started yet."

"Don't want everyone witnessing the miracle of life?" Addison asked. "Because you know they'll realize you're here in labor soon enough, don't you?"

"Yes," Callie sighed. "Do try not to remind me. I need something positive to hold onto once the contractions start."

Mark raised an eyebrow. "Us having a baby isn't positive enough? Or the part where we just confessed our love to each other?"

Callie rolled her eyes. "I'm about to be in a great deal of pain. I'm just saying that it's pretty likely that I will blame you for every ounce of it."

Mark sat down beside her and replied, "I expected nothing less."

Callie smiled softly and grabbed his hand. "You do know that I _am_ excited to have this baby and that I _do_ love you, right?"

Mark grinned. "Yeah, I know."

It was only an hour later when Cristina Yang burst through the door. "Torres, why was I not informed you are in labor, exactly?"

She seemed pissed.

"Because," Callie said with gritted teeth, "I knew it wouldn't be long before you showed up bursting through my door just like this. I haven't had your goddaughter yet, Yang, calm down."

Cristina replied, "How long have you been here?"

"An hour or so," Callie replied, "Not long. You're in early."

"I got paged. My patient is fine, so I assume it was really about you."

Callie laughed. "Probably. So are you going to tell the rest of the hospital you're about to be a godmother?"

Cristina wrinkled her nose. "Nah, they can find out on their own. You know how gossip is in this hospital. One of the nurses is bound to let it slip. Or Mark," she added.

Mark glowered at her. "I resent that."

"Oh, come on, like you haven't told Derek you're about to be a dad."

"Uh…"

"Mark!" Callie exclaimed. "Then Meredith must know, and that means the whole hospital must know. Oh, geez. This is going to be an experience. Who should we expect a visit from next?"

Cristina shrugged. "You're pretty well-liked around here. I don't think you'll be getting much privacy."

And she was right. Over the course of the next sixteen hours she had multiple visits from Cristina, Meredith, Bailey, Richard, and others.

Bailey visited the most, checking up on her friend periodically and bringing her ice chips. She had been through labor before and understood the pain Callie was going through, contraction after contraction. At seventeen hours, they headed for the delivery room.

While pushing, Callie squeezed Mark's hand so tightly that he was concerned she might have broken a finger.

"It's a good thing I'm an orthopedic surgeon, then!" Callie exclaimed loudly.

The baby was born at 8:15 PM, and the new parents were beyond proud.

Looking at their daughter, bundled in a soft pink blanket, Mark asked. "So what do we name her?"

Callie bit her lip. "What do you think of the name Sofia?"

"Sofia," he repeated agreeably. "Sofia sounds good. What about her middle name?"

"I don't know," Callie said. "I was thinking Aria after my sister, but those two names end the same, so that's weird…"

"What about Arianna?" Mark asked. "Same beginning, slightly different name. It can still be for your sister."

"Sofia Arianna Torres-Sloan? I like it."

"I like it, too." He climbed into bed with her. "Want to sleep?"

"Mm," Callie mumbled. "Yeah, sleep sounds good."

Just before the pair drifted off, Addison took little Sofia away to the nursery.

* * *

The next morning, Cristina barged in. "Can I see my goddaughter now?"

Sofia was in Callie's arms, and she was giving breastfeeding a try.

"Do you mind, Yang? I'm kind of exposed."

Cristina rolled her eyes and approached her. "I was your roommate, Torres. I've walked in on Mark in that baby's exact position."

Callie snorted, then cringed when the baby latched on to her nipple. She gestured to her daughter. "Well, here she is. Meet Sofia Arianna Torres-Sloan."

"Two last names? How modern of you."

"It's not like we're married," Callie explained.

"You may as well be. You're happier with McSteamy than you ever were married to O'Malley. And he's way hotter."

Callie pursed her lips. "Cristina?"

"Yeah?"

"Please stop sexualizing the father of my child."

Cristina nodded. "Got it."

* * *

Callie and Mark took the baby home two days after delivery, and Addison left the day after that. Derek gave Mark some extra time off of work, for which both of them were thankful. Sofia was quite the crier, but the pair managed. Mark caught on to diaper changing pretty quickly, and Sofia loved to eat. After the first few weeks, Sofia started sleeping for longer periods of time during the night, which her parents were very happy about. Both Callie and Mark were used to being awakened in the night once in a while by pagers and emergency surgeries, but parenthood was a whole new ball game.

When Callie returned back to work, Derek kept his promises of not mommy tracking. Callie suspected it was more Cristina's doing than anyone else's. She was friends with Meredith, and Meredith could call "post-it" on the situation – whatever the hell that even meant.

When Sofia was 18 weeks old, Mark started acting oddly. It made Callie incredibly nervous. He was still there, still being a loving father, still being loving towards Callie, but he was different. He seemed to be thinking a lot. Callie didn't know what to make of it. Was he panicking? The idea was something that Callie had been afraid of from the start but honestly thought she'd avoided.

Callie approached him about it one morning over breakfast.

"Mark?" she asked.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking up from his cereal.

"What's up with you lately? You've seemed…off. You're zoning out constantly. It's kind of freaking me out."

"Nothing, babe. I've just been thinking a lot, I guess."

"You're not panicking about all this are you? You're not freaking out?"

Mark grabbed Callie's hand and squeezed it tightly, causing her fears to ebb away. "I'm not freaking out. It's nothing like that. Trust me."

"Then what is it?" she asked.

"Like I said…I've been doing some thinking."

"About what?" she asked.

He took a sip of his coffee and looked her in the eye. "Marriage. And you. And the idea of us possibly getting married."

Callie blinked. That, she had not been expecting. "Oh. I see."

"Do you ever want to get married again?" Mark asked. "Because I know after some people get a divorce, they never want to marry again, and I wouldn't blame you if you didn't, but…" he drifted off.

"I…wouldn't be opposed."

"Hmm," Mark replied in a ponderous manner. "Alright, thanks. Gotta go to work, see you there?" He kissed her quickly and walked out the door.

Callie was left in a stupor. She said to no one, "What the hell?"

* * *

At work that day, Callie approached Cristina. "So I think Mark wants to marry me. But I'm not exactly sure."

"And what brought this on, exactly?"

"Well, he asked me if I ever wanted to get married."

"To him?" Cristina asked. "Yeah, well, I would take it that way, too…"

"Not to him," Callie clarified. "In general. He knows I'm divorced and wanted to know if I'd ever get married again. Plus he said he's been thinking a lot about it. The pair of us getting married."

"Well, yeah," Cristina replied. "I would probably take that as a hint that he wants to marry you. Do you want to marry him?"

"I think so. I mean, my last marriage was a complete disaster. But this is a different situation. You know? We have a kid. We're living together. And god knows how, but we actually manage to communicate with each other."

Cristina shrugged. "Sounds like a marriage to me. How's the kid? I haven't seen my goddaughter in a few days."

"Just walk across the hall, Yang."

"When ever I drop by unannounced, you and Sloan are usually doing it."

Callie rolled her eyes. "Every time?"

"Yes, sex addict, every time."

"Well…call ahead?"

"Looks like I'm gonna have to!" Cristina lamented. "But listen, about Mark possibly proposing…don't let it freak you out, okay? I think we both know it's what you want. So don't let it freak you out."

Callie nodded sharply. "Got it."

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Mark asked Callie a lot of questions. Specifically, he asked a lot of questions that made her think he was going to propose. And he didn't. He was teasing Callie, and she very well knew it, waiting for the right moment to actually pop the question.

He would say things like, "Hey, Callie? I have a question. It's a pretty important one."

And she would turn to him all wide eyed, waiting for the question.

Then he would follow it up with something along the lines of, "Would you mind passing the salt?"

He was a jack ass, Callie decided. She loved certainly and did want to marry him, but he was a jack ass, teasing a girl like that.

So Callie decided to take matters into her own hands. It was the 21st century – she could do the proposing herself.

That'd show him.

Two weeks later, after more continued teasing questions, Callie and Mark were out at dinner, having left Sofia with Cristina as the pair had planned.

Callie took a sip of water, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and smiled at Mark. "I have a question for you."

Mark looked up at her from his food and raised an eyebrow casually, not expecting anything serious. "Shoot."

Callie bit her lip. "Will you marry me?"

Mark's jaw dropped. He made a strangled noise. "But…I was finally going to ask you tonight."

Callie smirked. "You shouldn't have teased a girl for so long, then, hmm? You also shouldn't leave a girl hanging like this. It's pretty rude. So…will you? Marry me, that is."

Mark continued to gape at her for a moment and then grinned. "Of course."

Callie smiled brilliantly.

Mark reached into his pocket and extracted a ring. "Um…well, I was planning on asking you myself," he stumbled, "but…uh…here's the ring if you want it?"

Callie laughed loudly. "You can ask if you want. Just know that I beat you to it."

Mark smiled ruefully. "Yeah, I don't think I'll be forgetting being proposed to anytime soon. But here it goes…Callie, you've been my best friend for a long time. I knew you before you were married. I knew you when you were divorced. I knew you when you were confused about who you were. I've known you for a long time, and I've loved you for a long time. You're my best friend, the mother of my child, and the love of my life. So, Callie, will you marry me?"

Callie grabbed his hand from across the table, squeezing tight as ever.

She beamed at him and replied, just as he had, "Of course."

fin.

* * *

And there completes my longest one-shot of all time. I hope you enjoyed. Please review! I never write pregnancy fics. Haha.


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